APWU News FMLA Restoration Act Introduced A bill intended to reverse changes to the Family and Medical Leave Act regulations that were implemented just before President Obama took office has been introduced in the U.S. House. The FMLA Restoration Act, introduced on April 29 by Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH), would “nullify certain regulations promulgated under the […]
APWU Clerk Division Officers met with the Postal Service regarding “implementation of technological or mechanization changes” that affect jobs. The parties discussed several ongoing and new developments. FSS Program As many of you are already aware, the Flat Sequencing Sorter is the latest Postal Service automation program. Designed to facilitate delivery-point sequencing (DPS) of flat mail, it will […]
APWU News An arbitration panel finalized a five-year contract for postal nurses on April 28 — the first since the National Postal Professional Nurses merged with the APWU. The ruling [PDF] came more than 20 months after the nurses’ independent Collective Bargaining Agreement with the USPS expired. Neutral Arbitrator Stephen B. Goldberg rejected USPS proposals for […]
APWU In March, the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W) rose to 617.239, still well below the July 2008 index of 644.303 (upon which our last COLA increase was based). The CPI-W must rise above 644.303 before another COLA is due. After the second month of the six-month measuring period, and assuming the adjustment were based on […]
APWU News Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has placed on the Senate calendar legislation that would give retirement credit for unused sick leave to postal and federal employees enrolled in the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS). The legislation is part of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (H.R. 1256), which passed the House […]
The Legal Firm representing American Postal Workers Union, Oakland (California) Area Local #78 has notified USPS Bay-Valley District Manager Kim Fernandez of their intent to file a lawsuit for the purpose of blocking involuntary reassignments. The letter points out that some employees have less than one week (instead of the contractual 60 days) to report to their […]
APWU News The Postal Service has informed the APWU that the deadline for eligible employees who wish to apply for Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) effective June 30 or July 31 is June 19. The USPS has also designated June 19 as the “irrevocable” date, by which employees who have applied for retirement but wish to withdraw […]
Burrus Update In response to declining mail volume and deteriorating financial circumstances, the Postal Service has announced plans for new price incentives for major mailers. One proposal, which is designed to increase volume during the time of year when mail volume is typically lowest, is being called a “Summer Sale.” The plan calls for large […]
Excerpts from the Unionizer, East Bay Area Local #47’s Quarterly Publication, January-March 2009 issue Falsification of PO Box Distribution Time By Stephen Lysaght, President As I reported in the last issue of the Unionizer, the District [PR note: Bay-Valley District] issued a policy in response to complaints that I lodged about supervisors and postmasters either […]
APWU News For the second day in a row, the House of Representatives approved legislation that would provide sick-leave credit to employees covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). The “Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act” (H.R. 1256), introduced by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA), incorporates the provisions of H.R. […]